Jimmy Lai, Pro-Democracy Figure, Faces Life Imprisonment in Hong Kong Trial

Nov 20, 2024, 02:28 AM

Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has taken the stand for the first time in his national security trial, which has been ongoing for more than 90 days. Lai, who has been in custody since late 2020, faces charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials. The trial, which resumed after Lai's arrest four years ago, could potentially see the 76-year-old sentenced to life imprisonment. Lai, a prominent pro-democracy figure and founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, emphasized in his testimony that his newspaper always stood for freedom and dismissed the idea of advocating for Hong Kong's independence from China as 'crazy.' His wife Teresa and Cardinal Joseph Zen were seen arriving at the West Kowloon Law Courts Building for the trial. This trial, following five previous trials, is seen as a significant test of Hong Kong's diminishing freedoms under Beijing's national security law.